


A Little Bit of Warmth in the Cold

by karathegoddess



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cullen and Varric are BFFs, Cullen is worried, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Lavellan is injured
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:08:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22339027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karathegoddess/pseuds/karathegoddess
Summary: Cullen is worried about Aliah Lavellan after she buries Haven. With good reason as she's severely injured. Switch between Cullen and Lavellan's perspectives as they both give each other reason to keep fighting. Events of In Your Heart Shall Burn.
Relationships: BFF - Relationship, Cullen Rutherford & Varric Tethras, Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford
Kudos: 15





	A Little Bit of Warmth in the Cold

“What ever you are- I’m not afraid!” Aliah Lavellan yelled, clearly afraid. Though more so for her followers and the people of Haven than for herself. She remember ordering Iron Bull, Cassandra, and Varric to move, but then the friggin archdemon made a nice wall of fire in between them.   
“Words mortals often hurl into the darkness. Once they were mine. They were always lies. Know me. Know what you have pretended to be. Exalt the Elder One. The will that is Corypheus.” He raised his pointed misshapen finger toward the elf. “You will kneel.”   
Not only did Aliah know damn well she’d never kneel, but ruffling his feathers or in this case, shaving some red lyrium? No? Making him angry and forcing him to prove himself would buy enough time for the people Haven to finish escaping the tunnels. And she’d pray for Mythal or Andraste or whoever to look after Bull, Cassandra, and Varric. If they had hustled, they probably would have caught up with everyone by now.   
“You’ll-You’ll get nothing out of me!!!” She hissed back. Aliah cried out as the mark released an angry set of sparks that engulfed her whole arm in searing pain. Corypheus attempted to take the mark or Anchor back. He didn’t look too happy as his iron grip wrapped around her forearm. She felt like all the circulation was being cut off.   
“...Beg that I succeed. For I have seen the throne of the Gods. And it was empty!” Corypheus threw Aliah at the trebuchet like she was a rag doll. Her back smacked against the hard wood and metal. She didn’t wait to recover as she crawled over to a sword even though it caused a fierce pain in her ribs.   
“The Anchor is permanent. You have spoiled it in your stumbling! So be it. I will begin again. I will find another way to give this world the nation and God it requires.” The Darkspawn thundered. Aliah thanked a couple of deities for the position she was in, giving her a clear view over Corypheus’ shoulder. She saw the amber spark streak across the night sky. Everyone was safe. Everyone was okay. Her friends were okay. Cullen was okay.   
“...However I cannot suffer even an unknowing rival. You must die.”   
Aliah looked down to her left and had to suppress a mischievous grin that attempted to show. Now that everyone was out of harm's way, it didn’t matter what happened to her. Granted she had a biased opinion to not die, but for all intents and purposes it didn’t matter.   
“You’re an arrogance blinds you. Good to know. Enjoy your victory. Here’s your prize!” Aliah thundered as she kicked the trigger and the large trebuchet launched it’s rock into the mountain. She watched it hit it’s mark, but had no desire to stick around for its results. Aliah turned on heel and sprinted as fast as her injuries allowed. The archdemon's roar was deafening and Aliah could feel it’s hot breath from however far away she was as she dared not look back.   
Aliah ran until the snow lifted her off her feet and she had the terrifying sensation of falling, than her head smacked onto a hard wooden beam and she continued gravities decent.   
Aliah awoke with a splitting headache. She was also highly regretting her armor choices. Why did her go to have to be the antaam-saar? Normally she was running around Haven or the Hinterlands. And fighting worked up quite a sweat. Now she was freezing. Aliah groaned and hissed in pain as she attempted to stand. She shrieked realizing the hard way, that a broken piece of wood was impaling the left side of her abdomen.   
Aliah recalled talking with a surgeon or healer of whoever that you should leave the object in, however, the other end of the wood seemed embedded in ice and wouldn’t budge. Aliah readied herself and lunged forward. The scream that escaped lips her didn’t sound like a voice she recognized. After a few stabilizing whimpers and curses.   
She stood, wobbly of course, but standing was a victory nonetheless. Her head’s meet up with that beam had also caused a gash above her brow. Even though the pile of wood was the only thing that saved Aliah from getting buried under an avalanche, it had given her quite a beating.   
Aliah limped onward. She positioned her right hand over the stomach wound. Blood seeped through her fingers. She cursed at herself, wishing she could have paid more attention to healing spells, but she had been far more fascinated in casting a giant circle of fire than in healing. Even if Aliah did know any healing spells, she was sure she was far too weak to attempt any of them.   
The elf sighed in annoyance upon seeing some demons up ahead. They saw her and one Despair demon shot a spray of ice at her. Just when Aliah was thinking that this would be it. That she could face down an ancient darkspawn magister with a God complex, but a couple of demons would be the end, Aliah’s mark sparked to life and created a small rift that killed the three demons. This was not the time to be questioning these things. Aliah limped forwards and after a few minutes out of the cave only to be greeted by a harsh wind that threatened to knock her over.   
She felt alarm at first, when she couldn’t recognize any of the paths that she had frequented. Until of course it occurred to her that after dropping over a foot of snow, no one would be using those paths for a while.   
Aliah trudged onwards for what felt like months, maybe even years. Her pants and boots were surprisingly warm, but her torso and up felt like a block of ice. And it only took a few more hours for it to feel numb. Aliah became so cold, at one point she found herself waving her blue tinted fingers near her wound to catch the little warmth that emanated from it.   
Aliah kept on, putting each snow covered boot in front of the other. It sank down until the snow was level with her knee. Her feet were so numb she felt like she was walking on stilts. Her frozen feet caught and she sprawled forwards. “Get up.” Aliah demanded herself. “Get the hell up.” Aliah though if Cullen was in the position. Injured in a blizzard with the same amount of protection from the cold as some thin night clothes, he’d power through it. He get right back up and continue onwards. If Cullen would do that, so would Aliah. At the pace of molasses, Aliah managed to stand, crying out a few times when her injuries were jostled in the process. Aliah looked up toward the sky. The sun began to illuminate the sky, although it was still dark. It must have been nearing dawn. That would mean Aliah had been wondering the snowy mountains for several hours.   
Were they even still looking for her? Or had she been presumed dead? Perhaps Aliah had accidentally wandered in the completely opposite direction of where the passage Rodrick had spoke of emerged. Aliah began to feel fear. When Aliah thought she might die, it had been thinking it would be a quick death either by the avalanche or by Corypheus, she hadn’t anticipated slowly freezing to death. Or bleeding to death. Whichever came first really.   
Aliah propelled herself forwards, this new fear egging her onwards. The thought of never seeing Cullen again really shook her. Not seeing him turn as red as a tomato and scratch his neck when she tried flirting with him was a terrifying thought. It made her legs keep moving. As she approached a looming tower of rock, she saw something small. In the distance. She had seen debris all over where she had first emerged from the cave, but this wasn’t debris at all. It was a small fire pit.   
Embers were still glowing.   
Aliah smiled, but her cheeks were numb and it felt like stretching cheap leather. Step after step. A few more paces forward she heard a voice ring out.   
“It’s her!!!” Cullen voice echoed throughout the mountain. It had been just in time, because Aliah’s frozen legs buckled. Aliah felt dizzy and would have fallen flat on her face, if Cullen hadn’t slid down in front of her. Aliah’s head lulled against his chest. The Commander was beyond relieved, but the state of the Herald was more than disconcerting. He fumbled with the knot on his cloak, but was able to free himself and wrap it around her shoulders. Cullen’s fingers brushed her flesh and he felt ever growing concern when he didn’t think it would have felt much different to have brushed a block of ice.   
“Thank the Maker.” Cassandra sounded just had relieved. Cullen seconded that. However Aliah’s normally tan skin looked the same pigment as the snow. Her lips and fingers were tinted an alarming shade of blue. A large cut on her head made him think concussion. He began to lift the elf, but she cried out. Aliah guarded an injury to her abdomen. Her hand was soaked in crimson.   
“Cassandra, hurry back and tell them to get a healer and a surgeon ready!” Cullen ordered. Under normal circumstances, he’d probably get a sword hilt to the head for a snappy demand like that, but Cassandra didn’t need to be told twice. She turned and began to dash back to the makeshift camp of refugees.   
Cullen was much more gentle upon picking up the injured elf the second time. Though she let out a few small whimpers that made the Commander wince in sympathy.   
“Hey, hey, stay with me, Aliah. You’re gonna-you’re gonna to be okay. You’re going to be fine.” Culled cooed in an effort to reassure the Herald. Although part of him was uncertain if he had been trying to reassure himself as well. Cullen walked slower than normal. Anytime he attempted to speed up, it seemed to cause her great pain.   
Cullen felt better seeing that he was quite close to their campsite. When he tried to tell this to the Herald, he felt a knot in his stomach when she didn’t respond. He hurried inside and Mother Giselle and a Healer beckoned him to lay Aliah on a cot. Her medical team seemed to lunge into action. That was good, but he felt like he wasn’t sure what to do. He felt grateful when Varric tugged him away from the commotion and helped him scrub the blood off of his hands. Her blood. Aliah’s.   
“...it’s a great read if your into that sort of thing, Curly.” Varric continued to talk. Cullen appreciate it immensely.   
“Thank you, Varric.”   
“Anytime, Commander.” The dwarf paused. “Any idea on how Mini’s doing?” Varric inquired softly. Cullen smiled a bit upon hearing Varric’s nickname for Aliah. He recalled the elf stamping her feet and crossing her arms when Varic informed her it was because she was the smallest elf he’d ever come across, which was saying something since most elves were on the smaller side. Of course Aliah reveled in the fact that she was still taller than Varric, but only by a few inches.   
“I-I don’t know.” Cullen responded honestly.   
“She’s stubborn, Curly, I wouldn’t be too worried.” Varric chuckled. “This is the same girl who just survived an avalanche and trudged through snow for six hours, remember.”   
Cullen stayed with Varric until Mother Giselle emerged. She informed everyone that the Herald was still quite injured, but she would pull through. The cold although almost killed Aliah, also saved her by slowing the bleeding of her wound. Once he felt able and thanked Varric once more, he began planning with the other advisors. The planning of course escalated slowly into shouting. Everytime he pictured Aliah’s cry of pain, he knew he yelled louder or snapped meaner. He made a mental note to apologize to Leliana and Josephine later after he stormed off. He needed to cool down.   
When he saw Aliah standing, though leaning on a pole for support, it was a welcome sight. She winced and guarded her stomach again. Cullen had to resist the urge to run over and make sure she was alright. Mother Giselle sang and people joined in so quickly. Cullen could hardly blame them. Aliah was someone to look up to. She was someone you could put faith in. Cullen certainly did.   
The journey to Skyhold was trying for all the injured. But Aliah was not only injured, but she had to act tough. She had to act like it was nothing even though her eyes gave it away most of the time. Cullen could see the hurting in them.  
After the blur of events went by of being named Inquisitor, Aliah sought out a certain commander. When she arrived, she waited patiently until he completed barking his orders.   
“We set up as best we could at Haven, but we could never prepare for an archdemon or whatever that was.” He said reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “With some warning we might have…”   
“It was a bad situation,” Aliah frowned.  
“If Corypheus attacks again we may not be able to fall back. I wouldn’t want to. We must be ready. Work on Skyhold is underway. Guard rotations established. We should have everything on course within the week. We will not run from here, Inquisitor.” Cullen updated. Aliah’s shoulders slumped forwards and she looked at a small patch of grass near her feet.   
“How many...how many were lost?” She stuttered. Cullen gazed back towards her. She looked utterly exhausted. Part of that may have been from her injuries, but that question. The expression she wore as she said it. It was hard to believe that physical injuries were the only cause of the dark circles below her eyes.  
“Most of our people made it to Skyhold.” He reassured. “It could have been worse. Moral was low, but it’s improved greatly since you accepted the roll of Inquisitor.” Cullen noticed a hint of pride in his voice as he said the last bit.   
“Inquisitor Lavellan? Sounds odd, don’t you think?”   
“Not at all.” Cullen insisted. Aliah raised her eyebrows.   
“Is that the official response?” She smiled. Cullen chuckled and thought how beautiful Aliah looked with such pretty grin on her face. It was the first time he’d seen her wear one since prior sealing the breach. Aliah couldn’t help, but adore the laugh Cullen had revealed as an effect of her joke.   
“I suppose it is. But it’s the truth.” The Commander stood back up. “We needed a leader. You have more than proven yourself.” Aliah’s cheeks flushed and she looked up at him with her large emerald eyes, nearly the same dazzling shade as her mark.   
“Thank you, Cullen.” Aliah said was such genuinity, Cullen though he might be flushed too. “Our escape from Haven. It was close. I’m relieved that you-that so many made it out.” Aliah stumbled.  
“As am I.” Cullen responded. Aliah turned to go, but Cullen needed to say something else. His voice softened. “You stayed behind, Ali, you could have-” He took a breath to avoid riling himself up again. He gingerly took her hands in his. They were still so cold, though significantly less so than when he had last felt them. “I will not allow the events at Haven to happen again. You have my word, Aliah.”


End file.
